Former FBI Director Robert Mueller Dead at 81

Robert Mueller -- the former FBI director who served as special counsel during an investigation into the 2016 election -- has died.

His family announced the news in a statement to the New York Times ... telling the paper of record he passed away Friday. They did not share where or how he died.

Mueller began his career in public service when he joined the United States Marine Corps in 1968 ... attaining the rank of captain and becoming a decorated soldier during the Vietnam War.

After the war, Mueller got his law degree ... eventually working as a United States Attorney -- and eventually rising to become the United States Assistant Attorney General.

Mueller became the sixth director of the FBI in 2001 and served in the role until 2013.

Though FBI Directors are only allowed to serve a maximum of 10 years, the Senate -- at the request of President Barack Obama -- voted unanimously to allow Mueller an additional two years as the agency head. He is the second-longest serving FBI director after J. Edgar Hoover.

Mueller spent several years in the private sector after leaving the FBI ... but, he returned to public life in 2017 when he was appointed special counsel for the United States Department of Justice.

The DOJ ordered Mueller to investigate "any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump, and any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation."

During a two-year investigation, Mueller charged multiple Trump allies ... including Paul Manafort and Michael Rlynn. President Trump regularly bashed Mueller on social media.

In 2019, Mueller resigned from his position and the investigation came to an end. His final report neither exonerated nor accused President Trump of wrongdoing. He also stated a sitting president simply could not be charged by the DOJ.

Mueller was 81.